Brunate

light house

houses on the hillside

view from the lighthouse

going up

Brunate is a little village in the hills above the town of Como. It has been occupied since the 6th century but because it is difficult to access it remained very small until the 1850's when they built the fununculare-a vertical train going up the hill. It became a favorite vacation spot for lots of artists and writers and slowly grew. It is still small, and very quaint but also with old expensive villas. I fell completely in love with the town. The flora and fauna were very lush. I spent an afternoon and evening here after taking the fununculare up the hill from Como. It takes about 5 minutes. I walked all the way up to the voltaic lighthouse which is really high above the lake and a killer walk. There were lots of little lizards in the stone walls and the sound of birds was everywhere. I had the best dinner at a tiny bistro where the owner and his wife prepare everything from scratch daily and use local and organic ingredients. After a glass of his homemade limoncello for dessert (the best I've ever had) I made the descent back down to Como and bed.